Memories of Earth and Steel
by Aquarius Galuxy
Summary: A NejiTen childhood fic. First chapter preview: Their first meeting is at a cabbage patch the day after Tenten turns five.


This is mainly going to be a NejiTen childhood fic series, so I doubt that there'll be much romance at all! It won't be updated regularly as I'll only be writing it whenever I get the chance/inspiration to. All installations will be written based on prompts from 50_shinobi on LJ; I haven't officially joined the challenge yet, though, because I want to see if I can cover a few more prompts before that. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  
Naruto (anime and manga alike) does not belong to me.

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**Chapter 1: Incidence  
**_Prompt 23 (Cabbage Patch) from 50_shinobi on LJ_

Their first meeting is at a cabbage patch the day after Tenten turns five.

Neji stumbles upon a particular home quite by accident, amongst rows of nondescript houses that are a far cry from the Hyuuga estate. He is stubborn and refuses to admit that he might be lost.

Pale grey eyes sweep over a large rectangle of plowed soil. It is not the round green buds in neat lines that catch his attention, but the diminutive figure crouching by the edge of the garden. Neji keeps his distance warily and stares.

She looks up suddenly - there is no question that she is a girl, for no boy has buns atop his head - and flashes a grin at him. "Hello over there!"

Neji stares. It is not proper for a girl to shout. Nor is it graceful for dirt to be smudged across her cheeks. If his uncle were hers, she would be chest-deep in trouble. He watches as she beckons him over. When he doesn't shift an inch, the girl hollers and waves at him. "C'mon! I won't bite!"

True to her word, the messy girl does not look as if she bears danger. He finally treads over and leaves a foot of space between himself and the grass that marks the edge of the property.

"What's your name?" Her head is tipped back to observe him.

"Hyuuga Neji." He thinks about how well he is being the model Hyuuga child by answering only what is asked of him.

"Ne-ji," the girl tests his name aloud. "My name is Tenten." She straightens slightly in her crouch, as if with pride. A smug smile adorns her face. "I turned five yesterday."

Neji wonders if he should say anything special to her. No one celebrates the birthdays of servants in the Hyuuga household. She has not volunteered a significant surname, either. "Oh."

Tenten pouts, but lets the matter slide. She eyes his clean, neat clothes. "Would you like to come in?"

He blinks and steps into the garden. The ground on this side feels no different from the patch he has just moved away from.

"No, no! I asked if you wanted to come in - you haven't got my permission to step in yet!" the girl cries from her spot on the ground.

Neji takes one look at her fierce expression and promptly steps back out. "May I enter your garden?"

"Yes, you may." She grins and turns back to the spot she was examining minutes ago. When he does not budge, she looks back at him. "What are you standing over there for?"

He steps forward, careful not to step on any of the tender buds. This girl, Tenten, is certainly the weirdest girl he's ever come across. She shows no respect for him. But then again, she does not keep her distance like the other little girls back at the Hyuuga estate, either.

"Come look at the ants over here!" She gestures excitedly at him. "They're ihuge/i!"

Neji, who has never paid much attention to the crawling black dots, crouches down next to the young stranger he has just met. The ants she points out are larger than any he has ever seen. He stares at them in fascination.

"Shouldn't you be at home?" Tenten blurts after a minute or so. She tilts her head and he notices the spark of mischief in her roguish dark eyes.

"I ran away." He hopes that Hiashi-sama has not noticed his disappearance yet. Watching shiny black dots scuttling across soil is more interesting than meditation.

"Wow, they must be bad people." She gazes sympathetically at him.

Neji grunts. He doesn't exactly know what he dislikes about his family, so he remains silent.

A yowl to his side has his attention drawn back to the girl. Tenten has shot to her feet and is stomping about on the ground, trying to brush moving black ants off her calves. He spots angry red bumps on her legs and remains staring, because his uncle has not taught him how to react in such a situation.

It is some time before Tenten's yelps ease into tearful whimpers. Neji shifts awkwardly on his feet and wonders what he's supposed to do.

"Those ants are bad," the girl pouts and scratches at her bumps a safe distance away some moment later. Neji stands next to her with his arms at his sides. He's definitely not going to make a fuss if ants bite him. Tenten looks up at him then. He sees her eyes widen-

-And feels a light, sharp pain biting into his arm.

"Ow." He watches her balefully. "What was that for?"

"There was an ant on your sleeve," she huffs indignantly. "You should be thanking me for hitting it off."

He is a little offended. "I can do it myself."

"Tenten-chan! Are you okay?" A plump woman appears from the side of the house and rushes forward. "I heard you shouting. Did this little boy bully you?"

"No! Neji didn't!" Tenten hurries to defend her new friend, for which he is relieved to hear. "Ants bit my leg, kaa-san. Look!"

Neji watches as she shows her mother the angry red bumps. The woman clucks her tongue and chides her daughter for stepping into the cabbage patch again. She turns to him soon after. "You're the little boy from the Hyuuga clan, aren't you? They must be worried about you. I'll get Tenten's father to bring you home."

At his stricken look, Tenten's mother hastily adds, "You may visit Tenten again tomorrow, but you mustn't stay here for too long. We'll get into trouble if your family thinks we've put you in any danger. Here, I'll get Tenten's father. Tenten-chan, make sure he doesn't run away!" She pats her daughter's head and disappears into the house.

"We'll get into trouble?" Tenten echos and stares blankly at Neji. "But we didn't do anything wrong!"

Neji shrugs. He doesn't know enough about the Hyuuga to provide a satisfactory answer.

Tenten's father shows up soon after. The Hyuuga boy is surprised to find that he isn't even a fraction of how strict Hiashi-sama is. Perhaps that's because his uncle is better. He steps away from Tenten and bows slightly. "It has been nice meeting you."

Despite the bites on her legs, Tenten laughs and sends him a cheerful grin. "I hope we meet again, Neji!"

It is a dark, roguish gaze that remains in Neji's mind when he slips back into the compound and falls under white-eyed supervision once more.


End file.
